Tafsir & ExplanationWhen Allah سبحانه و تعالى chooses to inform or warn us about certain categories of people, it is not just so that we know who they are, but it is also for us to take heed and not fall into the same mistake.

Allah uses the word “Aqsaar – اخْسر” which means those who suffer the most, one who is in the greatest loss. Allah is informing us about these people so that we can avoid such actions.

Understand that this ayah is not just referring to the disbelievers, but it also includes anyone who worships Allah in a way that is not acceptable by the Shari’ah.

Who could be the worst possible loser in terms of their deeds? In the next several Ayat of surah Al-Kahf, Allah سبحانه و تعالى provides descriptions about this group of people, which correspond with the 4 characteristics mentioned in surah Al-Asr:

Verily, man is in loss. Except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth, and recommend one another to patience.{Surah Al-Asr 103: Verses 1-3}

Those 4 characteristics are:

CORRECT faith / believe, as defined in Islam.

Righteous deeds.

Truthfulness – we advise others to adhere to the truth, while we ourselves adhere to the truth.

Patience – we advise others to be patient, and we ourselves are patient.

These are the bare minimum requirementsthat we need to fulfill in order not to fall into the group of people who are in loss.

May Allah protect us from being among the people of loss and keep us on the righteous path till our very last breath.
Ameen ya rabbi.